In a simpler world
by Insanity-is-Freedom
Summary: Luffy lived in a simpler world. He had no use for complicated relationships. That much was clear to Marco. What wasn't so clear was whether there was room for him in that simpler world. Or Marco drinks too much and ends doing something he feels he ought to regret but doesn't really and attempts to find out if he fucked up everything in the process. - MarcoxLuffy
1. Chapter 1

**Hey,**

 **So this is something I wrote last night and it's probably not that good but I kind of liked the idea. It won't stay as a oneshot but I'm not too sure where I want to go with it at the moment so any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Also, I was wondering if I should alterante POVs between Marco and Luffy (this first chapter follows Marco so, the second would be about Luffy)? Or just continue following Marco? Personnally, I think both could be interesting and since I haven't started anything yet feel free to throw opinions at me.**

 **On a side note this fic is not my priority at the moment, I have a zombie SNK fic I need to be writing and life going on as well, so it might take a while for me to update. Don't panic though. I'll just be gathering ideas for as long as it takes ad chapter 2 will appear eventually.**

 **With that said I hope you enjoy the read!**

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Luffy lived in a simpler world. A world where people were divided into friends and enemies and where it was acceptable to kill _for_ a friend but not to kill a friend. A world where all that mattered were friends and family. Or maybe family and friends. Anything else was secondary. That was something Marco had deduced the third time he had seen the dark haired boy. By the fourth time he had realized he might not fit in Luffy's simpler world.

Marco was disillusioned and while that might not be the most important thing about him he thought it was what defined everything else about him. He lived his life like it was one huge party. Izo had come up with that. He didn't entirely agree with the statement but he couldn't really deny it either. He _did_ drink himself silly most nights and slept with anyone who happened to pass by and expressed interest. He also wasn't necessarily attached to his studies although he was diligent in them. He did it more out of a vague sense of duty to his father – Edward Newgate – than for the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom but there was that at least. His one redeeming quality – _probably –_ was his care for his family. Blood bonds didn't matter to him. They were his _brothers_ and family was _sacred_.

He wasn't a very complicated person. He just wasn't sure Luffy had room in his world for someone like him. Someone who didn't want to be a friend or an enemy. Someone who wanted to be special.

He didn't think Luffy had room in his world for love and romance. He didn't think _he –_ Marco –had. He'd never really been in love before. He didn't have childhood crushes to talk about, nor had he experienced any serious relationships whether before or after he got into college. He was the furthest thing from a virgin and yet he'd never had even one relationship that had lasted longer than one night. It was a bit pathetic if he did say so himself.

He had even managed to convince himself that love couldn't happen to him. That he was somehow immune to it.

And then Luffy had happened.

Luffy was his best friend's little brother and Marco hadn't even known he was a thing until Ace barged into his flat – he'd been in his last year of undergrad then – announcing with the biggest, _stupidest_ , grin on his face that his little brother was coming back to the country after having been dragged around the world by their grandpa for ages. Garp was Ace's grandfather and while Marco had never quite grasped what the old man's job entailed _exactly_ it had something to do with the army and it had him travelling around constantly. For obscure reasons – Ace had refused to explain, he had just shrugged a little sadly and Marco had taken the hint – the old man had decided three years before that Luffy was going to leave with him while Ace stayed behind. So Luffy had travelled with said grandfather for three years before making his grand return and Marco had been introduced to the boy immediately _just because_.

He hadn't even met Luffy that he already knew half his life story and more importantly how much of a brother complex Ace had. Then they'd arrived at the brothers' house and Marco had laid eyes on that childish face for the first time, with that big grin and those windswept black locks and those twinkling black eyes and he had _understood_. He didn't know else to explain it. He had just stood there looking at him and he'd thought 'it makes sense'. Because it really did. It was no wonder Ace had a brother complex because Luffy _shone_. It wasn't really anything he did. Least of all what he said, it actually kind of ruined the effect when he opened his mouth sometimes. It was more of a presence. An aura really. Like sunshine exuding from every pore. Like happiness made material.

And it was beautiful.

And of course Marco was so fucked because the kid was like _fourteen_ , tragically underage and _pure_. In retrospect, Marco had realized that no amount of dirty sex and horrific swearing would ever dent Luffy's purity because it was a different kind of purity altogether. Not a purity of the body but a purity of the soul.

Most of all though, Luffy was Ace's little brother. That was _the_ obstacle. Wars had begun for less than that. Especially when Ace was involved. He was a little too fascinated with fire for Marco's liking. It didn't matter that Marco had an incredible ability to survive and recover from grave injuries – he had always been like that, since childhood, he'd given up on understanding – he still didn't want to risk getting third degree burns because he'd smiled a little too invitingly in Luffy's general direction.

Not that he hadn't wanted too. Puberty had been exceedingly sweet to Luffy and Marco had not been the last to notice.

Anyway, it had been three years since he had met Luffy and everything was still unnervingly the same. Everything was _supposed_ to be unnervingly, _frustratingly,_ _ **painfully**_ , the same.

He was not supposed to wake up with Luffy's warm, _very naked_ body pressed against his. He was probably also not supposed to remember the sex they'd had last night, not after the amount he had drunk at that party. He didn't even remember what the party had been about. Or how he had ended up being walked home by Ace's little brother. He only remembered being drunk out of his mind and being held up by a very much sober Luffy (Luffy did not drink, he ate) in his living room and peeking at those plush lips under his lashes and thinking it would be such a good idea to kiss him. In his defence he had also thought it wouldn't happen anyway because Luffy was going to punch him in the gut and put an end to his misery before he got close enough. Luffy was a boxer and he did _not_ joke around with punching.

Except, Marco hadn't been punched and his lips had landed on Luffy's. They'd been soft but he had only taken notice of that long enough for them to part. Which hadn't been very long at all really because Luffy had opened his mouth as soon as he'd realized he was being kissed (Marco was trying not to think it was a habit developed through experience). He hadn't lost any time in shoving his tongue in and while he was making the kiss wetter and sloppier and just in general _more_ he'd harshly trapped Luffy's body between himself and the wall. It had elicited a delicious little gasp from the boy.

Next thing Marco knew they were in his bed, making out like it had replaced breathing and his hands were trailing down Luffy's naked torso towards his waistband. Their shirts had gotten lost somewhere between the sitting-room and the bedroom and Marco had been eager to let the rest of their clothes follow the lead. Luffy had most certainly _not_ been opposed.

It might have made things easier for Marco if he had. He could have thrown a rocket punch in Marco's stomach and successfully stopped his drunken advances. Instead, he decided to start tugging at Marco's belt with impatient little whines. Getting rid of the trousers while seriously intoxicated had been a real challenge especially when Luffy kept making demanding noises under him and it was all somehow unbearably adorable. It might not have been _only_ his hand-eye coordination that had been impaired by his alcohol intake because insistent whining had never seemed attractive to him before.

When he had finally gotten rid of the now-offending trousers, he'd promptly taken Luffy's erection in his mouth and the noises had stopped instantly. Actually, it had seemed like Luffy had forgotten how to breathe which was a little concerning, so while his tongue was busy teasing the head of Luffy's cock, he peeked upwards. The sight that awaited him was divine. Luffy had pushed himself up on his elbows and was watching Marco suck his cock with glazed eyes. His cheeks were dusted with pink and his mouth had fallen open. Marco couldn't decide if he looked frozen on the verge of saying something or just shocked out of his mind. It didn't really matter because Luffy looked _beautiful_.

He took him fully into his mouth then and Luffy's entire body shuddered. He made a little choked sound and left himself fall back on the mattress with abandon. Marco focused on his task finding pride in every sound that escaped Luffy's mouth. He found the spot behind his balls that made Luffy moan the loudest when Marco's finger rubbed on it while his mouth actively sucked his erection and made good use of the knowledge to get the boy riled up.

He had had to stop though because Luffy was close and he didn't want it to end then. He didn't want it to end _ever_ but that was a problem for later. Just then he had only bothered with finding the lube and a condom before preparing Luffy hot, _tight_ , entrance. He had wanted him so _bad_. And when he'd had him, once he was balls deep into Luffy's ass, looking down at his flushed face and bruised lips, he'd realized he was never going to be able to _not_ want him again after this. And then it hadn't mattered so much because he had found the spot that made Luffy scream his name in ecstasy and he'd come harder than ever before.

It hadn't been just sex between them, he knew that because everything about Luffy was _more_. But it didn't change the fact that Luffy was right _there_ , in his arms, sleeping peacefully and that they had had sex while Marco was wasted.

He didn't know what to do.

He still didn't know what to do ten minutes later when Luffy's eyes fluttered open.

"Hmm." he said, attempting to stretch in the narrow confine of Marco's embrace. "Marco?"

The poor boy probably hadn't realized the full implications of what it meant to wake up to Marco's mug looking down at him because he went on to press his cheek against Marco's muscled torso and closed his eyes again. Still unsure of how to handle the situation, Marco hugged him a little harder. If only to stop him from escaping before Marco could explain things. He wasn't sure what he was going to explain. 'I've been in love with you since I met you but never had the balls to make a move because you're my best friend's little brother and he'll burn me alive if he finds out'? Was that a reasonable explanation for drunkenly making the move on a seventeen-year old who had most likely been a virgin before this? He had doubts.

The point was he had no idea how to do this. For one thing, he had never slept with anyone he'd wanted to cuddle with until morning. Generally he stayed long enough to fuck them into a mattress and that was all. He didn't spend the night, he didn't wake up to someone else in his bed. Also he needed to pee. And that was becoming rather urgent.

He finally decided that Luffy was probably asleep and it was safe to leave for a minute or five to get rid of the excess liquid in his system.

When he came back from the bathroom half-dressed and a little fresher – not that much because hangovers were a bitch – Luffy was no longer sleeping. He'd taken up the whole bed to stretch his back before flopping down on the pillow just as Marco walked in. Marco observed him for a moment wondering if it would be considered okay to get back in bed with him but eventually decided it was risky. You never knew what could happen to you with Luffy. He was smiling right now as he looked at Marco through half-lidded eyes but that meant nuts when Monkey Jr was concerned. Marco had seen Luffy do atrocious things to people while he smiled at them.

"Marco." Luffy said eventually. "You look bad. You should take some aspirin and drink some water."

"Errrr…"

"Give me a minute." Luffy continued nonplussed by Marco's sudden inability to speak. "I'll get them for you."

With that he started rummaging in the heap of abandoned clothes at the foot of the bed eventually pulling out the jeans Marco had struggled to get off him the previous night. It was almost a shame to see him putting them back on. He didn't even bother with underwear.

God.

"Come on." Luffy said, grinning up at Marco as he gently took hold of his arm to pull him towards the kitchen.

Marco's brain had short-circuited. It functioned well enough to notice that their shirts had gotten as far as the corridor but not much else. He tried to regain his senses as Luffy shoved a glass of water and medicine in his hand for him to take but just as he was about to speak Luffy disappeared into the bedroom, coming out again a moment later with his socks on. He picked up his t-shirt on the way back and made a bee-line for his shoes which he slipped on. And before Marco knew it he was fully dressed and at the door, smiling at him with a:

"Gotta go home now. I'm worried about Ace's state. See ya."

And that was it. The door slammed and Marco lost his last chance to discuss the elephant in the room.

He would have to do it, he told himself sipping his water as a violent headache hammered in his head, as soon as possible and preferably sober.


	2. Chapter 2

**After many trials and error, I've managed to write a second chapter that doesn't make me cringe! I actually have to thank BlackBloodyHeart for this chapter as I saw their review this morning and was motivated to read the first chapter again which gave me a sudden flash of inspiration for the second chapter. Thanks to Jui-Imouto-Chan and Mphoenix12 for leaving reviews as well. I find reviews very encouraging so please do take the time to write your thoughts on the chapter on the way out!** **  
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 **I hope you'll all like this second chapter!**

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 _Easier said than done._

That was the conclusion Marco came to after three days of relentless attempts at getting in touch with Luffy. His first try had been on the very day of the Incident, several hours later, when he was moderately less hungover and more or less in control of his thoughts. He had tried calling the boy only to find out that the number he had saved in his contacts was outdated. He had asked Izo about it that evening when he had gone to work his shift at the warehouse – the Whitebeard gang was a semi-legal trading business that specialized in importing and exporting good via sea routes, hence gang duties included managing the stock at the warehouse and loading it on ships – and the long-haired crossdresser had explained while gazing shrewdly at his brother that Luffy had destroyed his phone by accident a few months before and had had to change his number as a consequence. Marco had preferred not to ask the circumstances behind said destruction. Knowing Luffy it could be anything from being dropped in the bath to being violently smashed into pieces for scientific purposes or even being blown up during a nuclear bombing test. When Luffy was concerned it generally held true that there was safety in ignorance.

He had therefore bypassed the dangerous topic to humbly ask Izo for Luffy's new phone number. _Naturally_ , Izo didn't have it because Ace had point-blank refused to divulge the information since apparently he had been jealous that the Whitebeards were getting closer to Luffy. Needless to say, the impossibility to contact the younger boy without going through his older brother had ensured contact between Luffy and the Whitebeards was kept to a minimum. This meant, of course that none of his brothers held the much-desired phone number. Which _therefore_ meant that Marco had hit the first dead end of a long line.

It really hadn't helped that Izo kept shooting knowing looks and unnerving smirks at him for the rest of the evening. The worse of it all was that Jozu – having caught said glances and taunting smiles – had started to catch on that something might be happening with Marco and had gotten unusually interested in keeping the blond man company. Marco was _praying_ that Thatch wouldn't get on his case too because two busybodies were already more than he could handle in the present situation. He wasn't too worried about others because most of his brothers were way too thick-headed to see through his carefully built mask of lazy indifference.

The second attempt had happened the day after, on Saturday, when he had decided to pay Ace a visit. The official reason was that Ace hadn't shown up to help out at the warehouse the previous evening and Marco had wanted to check up on him. Officiously, Marco couldn't care less about whether or not Ace was dying from his latest binge drinking session but he was hoping to catch a glimpse of Luffy at the D household.

In theory it was a solid plan. As far as Marco knew, Luffy didn't have that many friends and he spent most week-ends either in the house or with Ace and his friends, also known as Marco himself and his brothers. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter was that it ended up being one of those _extremely rare_ occasions when Luffy had decided to bail out on family time to spend the week-end at a friend's house. Leaving alone the fact that Marco hadn't even known a friend _existed_ , it was suspicious that the dark-haired boy had abruptly decided that very morning to invite himself over at that Traffy's place (what kind of name was Traffy even?) for two full days and one night. But well, there was nothing to be done about it and Luffy was a free being after all and could do whatever the hell he wanted in his free time even if it happened to be _fucking inconvenient_ for Marco.

So with that the blond had proceeded to put on a show of sympathy for Ace's hardships – thrumming headaches, abandoned by his little brother, no food in the fridge – for exactly five minutes before announcing he couldn't care less and that Ace had better show up on Sunday night for the weekly family dinner. _And bring Luffy with you_ , he hadn't added. It seemed that Ace had developed powers of mind-reading because he had promised he would be there with little brother attached anyway.

Which was good. Very good in fact. Until it wasn't.

Because on Sunday night, day two after the Incident, Luffy was indeed _not_ at the weekly family dinner because he had _coincidentally_ called his brother earlier to tell him he was going to stay at fucking-Traffy's place one more night after all because Kiddy (who the fuck even?) was coming with the first instalment of Star Wars and it was going to be epic. So epic that Ace had spent the entire evening looking like he would rather be at Traffy's place too.

So now it was Monday and Marco was _seething_. It was also apparently really obvious because when he had met up with Izo for lunch at the university's cafeteria, his younger brother had taken one look at him before proceeding to drag him away. Marco had asked if it was okay for the younger boy to leave campus when he had classes in the afternoon, which earned him a frown and a 'this is more important'. Although he was glad to know his love life's complications warranted skipping classes, he wasn't sure he wanted to talk about the whole chaotic thing.

"Sit." Izo ordered once they were inside his room.

Izo lived in the dormitories that were made available to Whitebeard members. Although most older gang members preferred to have their own living space as Marco did, some, like Izo who were either studying or didn't have a job aside from gang duties found the free accommodation quite convenient.

Marco obediently sat on the bed while Izo placed his schoolbag on the desk and took place on the chair next to it.

"So," Izo prompted. "What happened? And don't even bother saying 'nothing' because it's obvious something did. You look awful."

"Thanks." Marco commented blandly.

Izo waved it off with an exasperated huff.

"You know what I mean. You were distracted on Friday evening. Then you came for dinner yesterday looking a little better only to look murderous half-way in and I didn't think it was possible but you actually look _worse_ today. _So, what happened?_ "

Marco, who been frowning at the beginning of Izo's tirade now looked resigned to spending the next fifteen minutes of his life being laughed at for being stupid.

"You know how Luffy brought me home after the party on Thursday?" Marco started reluctantly.

Izo nodded, his expression softening at the mention of the younger D.

"Yeah, I noticed he left with you."

"Well…" Marco sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I guess I did something I shouldn't have?"

"Ah." Izo said nodding sagely, like he knew exactly what they were talking about it. "Have you finally realized your feelings for him then?"

Marco gave his brother a very peeved look. Trust the crossdresser to have figured it all out already.

"I've known that for a while…" he grumbled. "How do _you_ know anyway?"

Izo snorted delicately.

"Well it was kind of obvious. You probably don't notice yourself but you treat him really specially."

"How so?"

"You're kind for one thing. Always." Izo smiled tenderly as he met Marco's blue eyes. "I'm not saying you're mean to everyone else, but let's face it, you're usually too lazy to go out of your way to be nice to people. But you're always attentive to Luffy. Besides, you're never in a bad mood when he's around."

Marco had noticed none of that but if Izo said so, he was ready to believe it. The Asian boy could be terribly perceptive when he wanted to.

"Psychology students are scary." he commented, still feeling a little grumpy that he had to open up about what he had started thinking of as the worst mistake of his life.

"So what really happened then?" Izo pressed on, sounding gentler now.

Marco glared at the floor, refusing to look up at his brother as he answered through clenched teeth:

"I slept with him."

Absolute silence followed this announcement. At first, Marco figured Izo was surprised and his reaction was simply delayed but as the silence stretched on he started feeling anxious and ended up lifting his gaze to look at his brother.

He gulped upon meeting the tender grey eyes.

"What?" he asked, cursing at his own voice for sounding so broken and _weak_.

He had never been one for long crying session and loudly bursting into tears. Ever since childhood he had been resolute and analytical, preferring to calmly think about solutions rather than cry over spilt milk. Maybe it was because he had always been the big brother. Before, Jack, his tattoo artist of a father, had relied on him to look after his little sister when he was working, and after, at the orphanage there had been many younger children who couldn't cope with their losses as well as he did and who needed someone strong and solid to rely on. He had been that person then and he had continued in that vein after being adopted by Pops. It was just who he was. But right now, he felt fragile like he never had before. Not quite on the verge of tears but shaken and unsteady and Izo was looking at him like he knew all that, like he understood exactly what was happening inside Marco right now.

Marco looked away, hating this feeling of vulnerability with every fibre of his being. He heard Izo getting up and walking towards him and a moment later felt the mattress dip under his weight. An arm was placed over Marco's shoulders.

"What happened?" Izo repeated gently.

"I was drunk." Marco murmured. "And I thought he'd stop me."

"But he didn't?" Izo guessed.

Marco shook his head.

No, Luffy hadn't stopped him. He had responded, leaned into the touches and kisses, answered with his own. And Marco didn't know what to make of that.

"What did Luffy say? Did you talk?"

Ah, now they were touching the crux of the matter.

"I haven't seen him since." Marco admitted heavily. "I think he's avoiding me."

He saw Izo biting his lips from the corner of his eye and sighed. If even Izo was at a loss, the situation was probably really hopeless. There wasn't much that stopped the future psychiatrist for long.

"Well I guess we'll just have to catch him and make him talk to you." Izo said, sounding more cheerful than Marco felt.

"It won't be as easy as it sounds." he said, decidedly depressed. "This is Luffy we're talking about."

"Well, he's certainly a worthy opponent but it's not like he can avoid you forever. Be patient for now, and I'll try and think of something okay?"

"Okay." Marco sighed.

Izo pulled him into a hug which Marco readily accepted. It was rare that he let himself be so down and he was glad that Izo was supporting him rather than poking him fun at him like he had expected. Relying on people wasn't so bad once in a while, and it was certainly reassuring.

"What made you like Luffy anyway?" Izo asked after a while.

They had moved to lie down on the bed by then, snuggling like little kids and feeling a little lighter than they had throughout the previous conversation. Marco took some time to think before answering.

"I'm not sure." he said eventually. "It's just…him you know. He's kind of dazzling I guess. Always smiling and laughing, forgiving people easily and never doubting his friends. But it's not like he's naïve. He doesn't believe lies and if you hurt someone he cares about you're in for a really bad time."

Izo hummed in approbation.

"When I first met him, I thought he was someone who couldn't be restrained by the rules of the world. I thought it was beautiful." he ended in a whisper, thinking back to the day he had first laid eyes in those wise yet welcoming black eyes.

He felt Izo's chuckle against his shoulder.

"That's cute." the crossdresser commented.

"Shut up." Marco countered, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Say one more word and I won't go shopping for skirts with you next week-end."

The reaction was instantaneous.

"You promised!" Izo whined, tugging at his shirt like a wilful child.

Marco laughed.

"I'm serious Marco! You can't cancel on me!"

"We'll see." Marco said teasingly. "I guess it'll depend on my mood."

Izo abruptly rose to tower above him, cheeks red and puffed as he glared at the blond furiously.

"YOU PROMISED!" the younger boy practically shrieked.

Marco burst into laughter.

Yeah, once in a while, this wasn't bad.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back with the third chapter, at last! I apologize for the very long waiting, but my work keeps me quite busy and I've been writing less and less as a result. I hope this chapter will have been worth the wait at any rate! Please, leave a review ;)**

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Life was horrible.

Also he was never going to trust Izo with his problems again. The little bastard had actually gone and blabbed to anyone who cared to listen that Marco had love problems. It was just a fucking _pity_ that the only two people who had cared to listen to Izo's brilliant news were also the nosiest most annoying brothers he had. Namely Thatch and Jozu.

As a result he had spent the past few days avoiding the two horrors to escape the snide comments, knowing looks and probes to reveal more about the object of his affections. Izo had at least had the decency not to mention it was Luffy.

By the time Saturday and the promised shopping trip with his Asian brother had rolled around, Marco had threatened to cancel more times than he could count and he was just thanking small mercies that Haruta and Vista – number 3 and 5 respectively on the top ranking of busybodies – had been too preoccupied with work and paperwork to hear Izo's revelations.

He hadn't cancelled the shopping trip in the end. Partly to escape Izo imitation – _very good_ imitation – of a Banshee and partly because the shopping trip had initially been meant as an apology for missing Izo's birthday party a month before on accounts of a last minute business trip. So there he was, Saturday morning, freezing his ass off while he waited for Izo to arrive. It wasn't an especially nice day. Not to mention the temperature had dropped suddenly a few days ago.

It was one of the many downsides of living on the Grand Line, which was known for its unpredictable, and at times dangerous, weather. Almost every winter started as a huge slap in the face. This year they had lost twenty degrees in one day and Marco hadn't quite recovered from the drop. He was a child of the South. He could deal with warmth. Not so much with cold.

He blew hot air on his fingers, cursing at Izo and his chronic tardiness. He could call it 'fashionably late' all he wanted, it was still fucking rude to those who were left waiting for him. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his coat and started an internal rant about how much he actually hated his brother sometimes, _all the time_. He had just gotten to the part where he was swearing to himself that he would never bother going out with Izo ever again – ignoring the fact that he had made that exact oath to himself before – when the Asian crossdresser finally deigned to make an appearance.

"Morning!" Izo positively _chirped_ at the blonde.

Marco glared.

"I'm not even that late!" Izo protested anticipating the accusation.

Marco pointedly checked his watch.

"You're exactly twelve minutes and forty-five seconds late. You could miss the end of the world with that kind of delay."

"Oh shut up." Izo muttered affectionately, slipping his arm through Marco's and pulling him along the grey street. "Doesn't the weather feel Christmasy?"

"It feels like absolute hell and I'm considering seasonal migration."

"Oh come on!" Izo countered animatedly. "You can't tell me you don't like winter. It has Christmas! It has New Year's!"

Marco grunted.

Izo sighed.

"Would it make you feel better if we started with a hot chocolate?"

Mollified, Marco nodded and let himself be pulled along to a nearby café.

"News on the Luffy front?" Izo asked once they were seated with two steaming cups of hot chocolate in front of them.

"I've discovered he's actually amazing at avoiding people." Marco answered blandly.

"You haven't seen him at all?"

"Not a single hair."

"Impressive." Izo noted, sighing with satisfaction as he took a sip of his warm beverage.

Marco followed suit. An unknown fact about him was that he had a major sweet tooth. He didn't normally have much of an appetite for anything – the amount the D brothers ate was not only baffling to him it was also mildly sickening – but cakes were a different matter entirely. He could eat them by the dozen. So long as it was sugary he'd eat it whole in record time. It was actually impressive that Thatch who knew everything about everyone's eating habits hadn't found out about it yet. It was less surprising that Izo had noticed as nothing escaped the man for long.

"Well I'm sorry to say you might not see him for a while longer. I hear a blizzard is coming this way. They don't know how bad it'll be but if it's anything like our usual ones we might end up stuck at home for a few days."

Marco looked up at his brother in surprise.

"Where did you hear that?" he asked.

"Ace knows a girl whose sister is talented at telling the weather. Apparently."

"Uh."

"He _was_ a bit evasive about both the girl and the sister but he seemed pretty sure of himself when he told me."

Marco grunted.

A blizzard. Exactly what he fucking _needed_.

"If I thought you had any potential for sympathy, I'd ask you to kill me now." he muttered hollowly.

To be fair, Izo made a very good attempt at it in the next few hours, if only death by shopping was an actual thing. Marco certainly felt on the verge of death by the time they were coming out of the fifteenth shop. Thankfully, Izo mercifully decided at that point that they had done enough shopping for one day.

They parted at the bus station, Izo jumping onto a bus that would take him back to the docks where the dormitories were located, while Marco opted to walk back, as his flat was only fifteen minutes away. Besides, if Ace's shady contact was right and there _was_ a blizzard, he would need to stock up more canned foods and other essentials, which meant stopping by the supermarket on his way home.

He sighed. Sometimes, he really felt the universe was against him.

Clearly it wasn't enough that he was suffering from intense emotional pain because Luffy was avoiding him, there _also_ had to be a blizzard which would inevitably make the wait longer. God. This was all so fucked up. He was starting to think he should forsake drinking altogether. If it was going to cause so much trouble it would be for the best.

As he stepped into his local supermarket, his traitorous thoughts brought him back to the night that had started it all. Was it bad that he didn't regret doing what he had done? Of course, it wasn't like he _could_ regret feeling so much pleasure making love to the person he had liked for so long. There would be something wrong with him if he did. He did regret the circumstances in which it had happened though. He wished he could make it better, mend things with Luffy, but he was starting to think he was never going to see the boy again.

So maybe he was a _little_ bit depressed, he thought as he mechanically filled his basket with canned soups and other long-lasting foods. But he had very good reasons to be, he told himself firmly, standing in front of the cashier, as the male scanned his items with the speed of a lethargic snail. The slowness of the process was almost hypnotizing and Marco found himself staring fixedly at the man's hand. He snapped out of it just in time to give the man the exact amount of money required – he didn't even want to know how long it would take for the guy to give him change.

Once that was done, he gladly left the premises. He turned to head towards his flat and found himself staring at Luffy's hunched figure. The boy hadn't seen him, he had a hand on the wall, potentially to help keep himself upright, and the other was clutching his stomach. Marco could only barely make out his face and for a second he thought he'd make a mistake because Luffy wouldn't be so close to his flat after avoiding him for so long.

Then the boy lifted his eyes and jumped in surprise as he met Marco's blue gaze. He made a movement as if to run away but Marco was faster and before Luffy could disappear from his sight once again he grabbed the boy's hand.

He wanted to say 'don't run away' or even 'what happened to your face' – a very ugly bruise was forming on the boy's left cheek – but his throat felt oddly constricted and no matter how many times he tried to address the boy nothing came out. It unfortunately didn't help that Luffy was stubbornly refusing to meet his eye again. Marco tightened his grip around Luffy's fingers, noting absently that they were cold as ice and that not only was Luffy not wearing gloves he was also wearing a very thin coat that couldn't be much help considering the dreadfully low temperature.

"Luffy." Marco began intending to suggest they go back to his place and warm Luffy up – in a perfectly platonic way – before anything else.

He never got to finish because at that moment the alarm signalling an impending weather turmoil began blaring. Marco winced as he usually did when he heard the awful wailing. It was a perfectly horrid sound but it had the merit of being anywhere in the city. And it seemed Ace had been the right about the blizzard. He muttered a curse under his breath and, without waiting a moment longer, he started dragging Luffy towards the apartment building he lived in.

A heavenly warmth greeted them as they passed the doors and made a beeline towards the elevator. Marco lived on the seventh floor and although he considered himself to be rather fit, he had given up on the stairs after the first time.

The ride in the elevator was as awkward as one could imagine. Luffy was still not saying a word and staring pointedly at the ground and Marco had lost his chance to smoothly let go of his hand, so here they were, holding hands while making every effort to avoid each other. It got so ridiculous that Marco decided to make an attempt at conversation but before he could find something suitable to say, the elevator stopped on the seventh floor.

They shuffled out and Marco briefly froze in front of his door. With one hand holding the grocery bag and the other holding Luffy's, he had none free to unlock the door and he wasn't sure what he should let go off. He remained uncertain until Luffy took the bag from him. Interpreting the gesture as a sign of impatience, Marco hurried to open the door to let them in.

Once inside, he turned to Luffy, intending to offer he took a warm bath but found himself staring instead. It had only been a couple of weeks since the last time they had seen each other but suddenly it felt like years. Luffy's hair was falling into his eyes, brushing the top of the bruise that was marring his pale skin. And Marco took it all in like it was the first breath of fresh air he'd had in forever. Absent-mindedly, he reached a hand to trace the scar under Luffy's eye. He was consumed by the desire to kiss him but the tenseness he could feel as he touched the boy stopped him. He took a shaky breath and turned away, letting the boy's hand go.

"You should take a bath." he said, taking back the grocery bag without looking at Luffy. "There are towels in the bathroom cupboard."

He fled into the kitchen, meaning to put the groceries away, but the tingle on the back of his neck told him that Luffy had followed him. He turned to look at him, feeling strangely vulnerable. Their eyes met and Marco felt his heart drop. Luffy looked on the verge of tears. His lips were tightly pressed together and there was a hopeless look in his eyes, as if he thought he had lost something for good. And it was tearing Marco apart to see him like that.

He would have wanted to take him in his arms and hold him but the memory of Luffy's body stiffening under his touch left him frozen in place. It was Luffy who crossed the distance between them, Marco's name leaving his lips in a soft murmur. And before Marco knew what was happening, he was holding Luffy flush against him, the boy's arms wrapped around his neck and pulling him in a deep kiss.

Marco kissed back on instinct, unable to concentrate on Luffy's lips when his fingers were tracing the boy's hip, his thumb drawing circles on the soft skin, when the sound of the boy's heart – or maybe it was his own? – was drumming in his ears. His other hand slid down Luffy's spine making the boy moan against Marco's mouth, and all the man could think of was that he had to make it happen again.

They parted and Marco looked down at the boy. Luffy's face was flushed, his eyes dazed and his lip wet. He was breathing a little harder than usual and his lips were still parted as if he was waiting to receive the next kiss. It hit Marco suddenly that he would never be able to let go of something so perfect.

Then Luffy called his name as if questioning why he had stopped and he could only bend down to kiss him again, indulging the desires of the beautiful boy in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi!**  
 **Here is the fourth chapter, a little shorter than usual but I hope the content will make up for the length ;)**  
 **I'm still not entirely sure where I'm going with this, which is why it can be hard for me to write chapters. I always appreciate reviews, so please leave some! \o/**

* * *

In the midst of their activities, Marco had lifted Luffy up to sit him on the kitchen counter, enjoying the fact that it placed the younger man at his own height. His hands were resting on the boy's hips, happy to remain there while their kisses became softer and longer. Luffy's arms were still lying on Marco's shoulders but he had become less desperate in seeking contact, now seeming happy with the more relaxed pace Marco had set.

Eventually, they parted, Marco letting his forehead rest in the crook of Luffy's neck. He closed his eyes for a moment, sighing both in relief and contentment as he allowed himself to bask in Luffy's warmth. After a couple of seconds, Luffy leaned his head to rest on Marco's and they remained that way for some minutes.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" asked Marco after a while, his voice a little more plaintive than he would have liked.

Luffy shifted in his hold and Marco took the opportunity to straighten himself so that he could look into Luffy's face.

The boy's eyes were avoiding his gaze and his hand had slipped to Marco's shoulder as if he was considering taking it back altogether. In response, Marco tightened his hold on the boy, almost as if he feared Luffy would try to make a run for it, despite the blizzard that raged outside.

"I just…" the boy started weakly. "I didn't know what to do."

Marco stared at him uncomprehending. Of course he hadn't known what to do. They were sailing in uncharted seas here. Marco hadn't known what to do either. But did that really warrant running away from him for weeks?

"Because Marco you…" Luffy continued sounding restless. "I didn't think you were interested in me. I thought it might just have been…"

 _One of my usual one-night stands_ , Marco guessed. He gritted his teeth, annoyed with himself that he actually couldn't blame Luffy for thinking so. It wasn't like he generally gave a good impression of himself to people.

"I wouldn't sleep with a friend." he said and because he thought Luffy might take it the wrong way he quickly added: "I love you. I have for a long time and it made me lose control. It was not by any means a casual thing."

His breath stuck in his throat as he finished this confession worried that Luffy might actually recoil from him. Although he thought as Luffy started blushing fiercely, their make-out session should probably be a hint that Luffy had been hoping for this.

"Oh." Luffy squeaked, before burying his face in Marco's shoulder, apparently too embarrassed to keep looking at the blond man.

Marco rearranged his arms so that he was hugging Luffy closer and pressed a gentle kiss into the boy's hair.

"I love you." he repeated, trying to make it sound as sincere as he felt saying it. "I really love you."

There was no answer but Luffy tightened his hold around Marco's neck. Marco heard him sniff.

"Are you crying?" he asked, just a tad amused.

"I'm not crying!" Luffy retorted immediately, his voice shaking and cracking.

So he _was_ crying.

Marco found himself grinning like an idiot. All previous reservations evaporated as he slipped a hand under Luffy's shirt, delighting in the feeling of the boy's shiver as he slowly let his finger trail upwards.

"Should I help you feel happier?" he asked teasingly.

Luffy snorted loudly, obviously thinking the line was terrible. Which it was.

"That was awful." he said pushing away from Marco so that the man could see him smiling through the tears.

Marco grinned and lightly kissed his lips before moving his mouth down to the boy's neck.

"Aren't you," began Luffy, gasping as Marco sucked on the sensitive skin over his collarbone. "supposed to be really level-headed and in control?"

Marco playfully bit his shoulder.

"You made me this way." he said, grinning cheekily at the boy.

He kissed the boy's cheek before moving on to lock lips with the raven-haired boy.

"Oh sure." Luffy grumbled between two kisses. "Blame it all on me."

Marco found himself adoring the little pout that came on Luffy's face when he stopped kissing him to look at the boy before him. The boy in question did not seem to appreciate this sudden stop in activities at all, because, hooking his leg behind Marco's he pulled him in closer. Marco groaned in surprise as he felt himself be pulled down by the boy who had moved to lie on the counter, causing their erections to rub on each other.

"I thought you were supposed to be the reasonable one in this relationship." Marco joked, not at all disapproving of this new development.

"You made me this way." Luffy answered, a savage glint in his eye as he pulled Marco in for a searing kiss.

And well, Marco was fine with that.

* * *

Eventually, Marco did regain some of his famed self-control. At least long enough to drag Luffy to the bathroom to start pouring hot water into the bath. The boy's skin was still icy and Marco did not honestly believe sex was the answer. It didn't mean he was stopping himself from fondling the boy while they waited for the tub to fill up though, despite Luffy's feeble attempts to fend him off.

"Can't you keep your hands to yourself?" he asked the blond as the man busied himself putting hickeys all over the boy's neck and chest.

"If you really didn't want them on you, you would have seriously hurt me by now." Marco told him reasonably, looking at his artwork with satisfaction.

"I can see now that going out with you was a bad idea." Luffy said.

Marco felt a warmth inside his chest at those words. He had guessed, although it hadn't been vocalized, that they become official but it was nice to hear Luffy say it. Confirm it.

"You should have thought of that before. You're stuck with me now." Marco answered with a grin. "I don't intend to let go of you anytime soon. Or ever."

A small pleased smile appeared on the boy's face and, probably to hide it, Luffy peered down at his chest, squinting as he tried to see the red marks.

"How many did you make anyway?" he asked sounding stuck between amusement and exasperation.

"Just a few." Marco answered evasively turning off the water and lifting his shirt up above his head.

"Why are _you_ getting undressed?" Luffy, who was already down to his underwear thanks to Marco, asked suspiciously.

Marco glanced at him with a sly smile playing on his lips.

"I'm getting in too." he said. "Why? You don't want me to?"

Luffy pouted and flushed but refused to answer, preferring to slip out of his boxers and clamber inside the bathtub. Marco joined him a moment later, manoeuvring Luffy, until the back of the boy's head was resting against Marco's chest.

"What were you doing around here anyway?" Marco asked once they were peacefully relaxing in the hot water. "I would have thought it'd be counterproductive to come so close to my flat when you were avoiding me."

"I just ended up there." Luffy answered, his guilty tone a tell-tale sign that he was keeping information to himself.

"Does it have anything to do with that bruise?" Marco questioned, poking the dark mar on Luffy's cheek.

The boy moved away from his touch, slapping away his hand.

"Maybe." he said.

Marco sighed.

"You're awful at lying." he commented.

It was true. For a long as he had known Luffy the boy had always displayed a tragic inability to tell the simplest of lies. The boy could be read like an open book thanks to his overly expressive face. It could be flattering at time to know exactly what the boy thought of you, but most of the time Marco just pitied him. A man like Marco who had made his way through life by crafting elaborate lie after lie, it was unthinkable that anyone could be this bad at lying and survive. But well, it wasn't the first miracle Luffy had pulled off.

"I got into a fight okay?" the boy said, sounding mildly put upon. "They weren't strong but there was a lot of them and they just kept coming at me so eventually I got fed up and ran. And while I was trying to lose them I ended up here."

Marco hummed and pressed a kiss to Luffy's uninjured cheek.

"I thought you'd stop getting into fights?" he asked slightly surprised.

It was true that although it was fairly common for Luffy to get into fights around the time he had returned from his travels, he had almost given up entirely his habit of picking fights with random people some time ago. Marco didn't know what had changed the boy's mind about fighting but he had welcomed the change in attitude as he hadn't liked seeing Luffy coming back bruised and battered.

Luffy just shrugged and Marco let the matter drop. He wasn't intending to make Luffy reveal every single thing about himself, especially since Marco didn't feel ready to tell the boy his own stories.

"Well it's good that you ended up here when you did." Marco commented. "It would have been dangerous with the blizzard otherwise. Didn't Ace warn you about it?"

He felt Luffy stiffen in his arms.

"No. He knew about it?"

"According to Izo, a girl whose sister is talented at telling the weather told him. He told the other guys from the gang so I figured he would have told you."

"Oh." Luffy said, his body still not relaxing. "He hasn't been home much."

Marco frowned. He knew Ace spent a lot of time at the Whitebeard headquarters but he hadn't thought it had been to the point of neglecting the little brother he loved so much. It could also be that Luffy's sudden coldness had nothing to do with Ace himself. Maybe there was a story there that was worth knowing, he thought leaning back and closing his eyes, as he forced Luffy to lean back against him as well. For now though, he really just wanted to forget about these upsetting topics and relish the fact that Luffy was with him to stay.


	5. Chapter 5

Marco was watching his lover through half-lidded eyes. After getting out of the bath, they had settled in the sitting-room, Marco lounging on the couch while Luffy sat curled up in an armchair, hugging a cushion to his chest. He looked adorable like that, sleepy-eyed and with his head cocked to the side. The boy was staring out the window and had been for a while. Marco had to admit that the dance of the snowflakes being pushed about by the furious winds was entrancing. It just happened that Luffy was even more so.

Marco had once thought of himself as fairly aloof. He found certain people attractive and liked sex as much as the next guy but he wasn't driven mad with want by his partners. He now realised what a lie he had been living. Every gesture Luffy made awakened his desire for the boy. He was impressed at himself for letting it be for the past hour. In all likeliness it was because, between the insane shopping trip and the emotional turmoil of reuniting with Luffy, all energy had been sucked out of him.

The only reason he wasn't sleeping right now was that, deep down, he was a little scared he would find out this had all been a dream. Besides, he didn't think he could ever get tired of detailing Luffy's features.

The loud buzz of a cell phone made both men jump. Luffy looked momentarily confused, his hand reaching for his trousers' pocket on instinct before realising he had changed into one of Marco's pyjama bottoms. Apparently more awake than Marco felt, Luffy got up to his feet and dashed off to look for the phone. He must have found it in the entrance because a few moments later Marco heard his lover's voice coming from through the doorway.

"Hello?" the boy was saying. "Oh, yeah I'm fine don't worry. I was near Marco's place when the alarm went off so…"

There was a silence during which Marco listened intently, almost ceasing to breath in his attempt at hearing the conversation.

"Marco. You know…" Luffy mumbled, sounding slightly embarrassed. "The guy I told you about the other day."

Marco grinned. So Luffy talked about him to his friends, eh? How flattering. At least he assumed it was a friend his lover was talking to. It couldn't be Ace because that damn pyromaniac would have known who Marco was.

"Yeah." he heard Luffy speak into the phone. "We're good now."

A moment later a strangled scream came from the hallway.

"OH GOD! YOU'RE SO….!" Luffy cut himself off with a loud intake of breath. "Yes! We are!" he snapped after a short pause, sounding at once mortified and annoyed.

Marco straightened himself in his seat, leaning forward as his interest in the conversation peaked. He didn't know who that was on the phone, but if they were capable of embarrassing the unflappable Luffy to that extent he wanted to meet them.

Well… maybe unflappable wasn't the right word for it. It was just that Luffy was so open-minded and uninhibited that it sometimes appeared as if he was incapable of feeling any shame.

"You're such a Mum!" Luffy's voice had gained a whining quality.

Marco closed his eyes, the overheard comment bringing memories of his own mother to his mind. He could only recall a vague figure and long blonde hair that fell in waves down the woman's back. As long as he had known her, his mother had always been sick. Perhaps because she had known she would not live long, the woman had never sought any closeness with her children. While Marco's little sister had sometimes suffered from this forced estrangement, the little boy for his part had coped rather well with the situation. His father had been attentive and loving and he had felt nothing amiss with the lack of motherly love in his life. So for the five years they had cohabited, Marco and his mother had excelled at not being together.

In retrospect, Marco's mother might not have wanted children in the first place. He suspected she had given birth to him and his sister for the sake of their father more than anything else. One could fault his mother for many things but it could never be doubted that she had loved Jack with all her heart. And the feeling was returned whole-heartedly by her husband. So when she had died, the sadness Marco had suffered was mostly on behalf of his father. He had felt none for himself as he did not consider himself to have lost anything.

"Are you asleep?" the voice made him open his eyes.

While he had been distracted by his recollections of the past, Luffy had ended his phone call and returned to the sitting-room. He was now bent slightly over Marco, watching the older man with curious eyes.

"No." Marco answered, grabbing the boy's hand and pulling him gently towards him.

Luffy let himself be guided to Marco's side, dropping on the sofa next to him and leaning against him.

"Who was that on the phone?" the blond asked, enjoying the light weight on his shoulder.

"Traffy."

"Oh him."

Marco would be lying if he said the mention of the name didn't irritate him a little. He still held a grudge against the unknown man for having been an accomplice in Luffy's skilful avoidance.

"He's nice!" Luffy retorted, sounding suddenly defensive.

"I didn't say he wasn't." Marco appeased, pressing a light kiss in Luffy's hair.

"He was calling to check I wasn't outside."

There was a strange note of something in the boy's voice as he gave this information. As if Traffy (this name still sucked) had genuinely expected Luffy to be out in the blizzard. The promptness in phoning showed that he had felt concerned with the possibility at least.

An unintelligible noise rose from the back of Marco's throat and he rearranged his arm to wrap it around Luffy shoulder.

"Who's this Traffy anyway?" he asked, deciding to let the matter drop for now.

"Friend from school."

Marco hummed. He didn't know why, it had never crossed his mind that Luffy had friends at school. He knew, in a vague sort of way, that Luffy went to school – sometimes, when he felt like it – but it had never registered in him as an important part of the boy's life. He found it odd himself, but he had no way of explaining why. Maybe because Luffy never spoke of school. Although now he thought about it, Luffy never spoke about himself at all. He was good at bypassing the topic completely and making it appear normal.

"What was he asking you?" he enquired remembering the high-pitched squeal from earlier.

He glanced down at Luffy's face, noticing the red flush on the boy's cheeks.

"He wanted to know if we used protection." Luffy groaned.

Marco laughed.

"Oh man, I have to meet this gem!"

The pout on Luffy's face was so adorable, he had to bend down and kiss it.

"Which reminds me, did we use protection last time?"

He received a weak punch to the shoulder.

"What?" he chuckled. "It's a fair question. I was way too smashed to be sensible and I don't remember if I used a condom."

"You did." Luffy grumbled sulkily.

"I thought Ace would have called by now." Marco mentioned, abruptly changing the topic.

Condoms were too suggestive to be deemed safe, especially since their earlier proximity had been prematurely aborted. He was a mature and reasonable man, but not that much.

"I thought so too." Luffy mumbled, his brow scrunched up in an expression of intense displeasure Marco rarely saw.

The blond pressed his lips to the frown.

"Why are you so pissed off at him?"

"I'm not." the snappy retort was not in the least convincing.

"Uh. Sure you're not." Marco agreed with no small amount of sarcasm. "Well I know he's a disgraceful brother."

That comment earned him a faint smile and a swat on the arm.

"He's not."

"But you still love me best?"

"Yes." Luffy agreed, rolling his eyes like he thought Marco was hopeless.

The silly grin on Marco's face probably only confirmed that thought.

"Although you're not my brother, so I'm not sure the amount of love can be compared."

This time the ringing came from the landline and Marco grudgingly got up to pick up the receiver.

"Yes?" he said into the phone.

"Marco, did you get home all right?" asked Izo's strained voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What's up?"

"Well," there was a small pause and Marco heard the rushed intake of breath of his younger brother. "Ace is here, and he doesn't know where Luffy is. Apparently he went out a while ago…"

"If it's Luffy, he's with me right now. He got himself lost in my area."

"I WASN'T LOST!" came the shout from the sitting-room.

"He says he wasn't." Marco continued to Izo. "But he totally was."

There was a long silence. So long that Marco wondered if the connection had been cut.

"Sounds like you two are getting along fine." came Izo's voice at long last.

There was a question in there and Marco smiled as he answered.

"We are."

"Good." Izo said, and it sounded to Marco as if he had said 'I'm happy for you'. "Well I'm sure Ace will be glad to hear Luffy's safe with you."

"Yeah, tell him I'd love to know why he didn't inform Luffy the blizzard was coming if he knew about it. That's some serious carelessness. It got him demoted."

He heard a chuckle behind him and turned to see that Luffy now stood in the doorway, presumably to eavesdrop better.

"Oh dear." a chuckle sounded from the other side of the line. "I'll give him fair warning. Anyway, everybody's accounted for now. I'll hang up now, take care you two and behave."

"Well we would have…" Marco began, letting his sentence float suggestively.

Izo laughed, called him an idiot and said his goodbyes.

"Yeah see you." Marco answered, before hanging up. "Well Ace is over at the dorms." he told Luffy.

"Good." Luffy answered walking up to Marco and standing on his tiptoes to kiss him. "Marco, I'm hungry."

Marco groaned.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi, people who are still alive!**

 **It's been a long wait and to be honest I thought it would be longer. I'm taking exams to become a teacher this year and I'm drowning in all the work. On top of that I was sick for approximately a month and a half from late November to early January (pneumonia and all that sort of fun stuff) so I can't say I had a great start to the year. Still I haven't disappeared from the writing scene and all my WIPs are still WIPs, I'm just going to be invisible for some time. Possibly for a few years (everyone's telling me how much harder it is AFTER the exam, I don't even know if I want it anymore T^T). Anyway, updates will be...ponctual...unscheduled...and rare. Probably.**

 **Hope that's alright with you all :D**

* * *

Marco stared at his cupboard intently. He didn't think they were going to make it. It had only been a day and a half and the demon he called his lover had already emptied half of his food supplies. Not that he hadn't expected it – Luffy's appetite was practically an urban legend – but it was somewhat worrying. At least the snow was letting up a little although it had already risen quite high. Looking out the window one could just make out through the murk the cars parked on the side of the street, half-buried in the snow.

This was going to be such a pain.

"This is such a pain." Marco sighed, closing the cupboard.

He heard a snort of laughter behind him.

Luffy – the bastard – was placing his fifth plate in the dishwasher. The other four he had used throughout the meal had already been placed within. Marco gave them a disgusted look. He, himself, had merely nibbled on an apple. He was planning to maybe have a biscuit in a few hours but for the time being he had banished all thoughts of a proper meal. Just _thinking_ of Luffy eating was enough to make him queasy. Naturally, upon noting his lack of appetite Luffy had declared him an anorexic and was now acting all concerned and overcome with worry. The git.

To start with he wasn't an anorexic. He just didn't eat much. He had been that way since he was a child. Jack used to call him his 'little bird' because he ate such small portions. He just preferred to eat small things every few hours rather than copious meals. He would admit quite readily that he sometimes forgot to eat altogether when he was at work because he was focused on a particular task. Although, in fairness, Thatch kept an eye on his diet for him so he didn't really need to put in that much effort.

"Are you sure you don't want anything else to eat?" Luffy asked on cue.

"Yes, I'm sure. I love you but ask me that one more time and I'll decapitate you."

"You wouldn't be able to."

Marco gave Luffy an aggravated look. He just hated it when he couldn't talk back. The teenager smirked at him before skipping out of the kitchen, soon followed by the sulking blond.

"I wonder if the TV will work today." Marco wondered aloud, making no move to turn it on.

It had snowed on the screen too last night and they lost their one and only remaining distraction. It was a good thing they could have sex these days or they might have died of boredom.

Luffy only sent a disinterested glance to the tv. He was playing with his phone, seemingly trying to see if he could find a spot of service in the flat. He had been texting 'Traffy' on and off for the past hours. 'Kiddy' was apparently at Traffy's place so he had also been communicating with that second unknown friend. At this point, Marco had determined that both of these were nicknames. He refused to think that parents could hate their children to the point of giving me such terrible names. Although…he _was_ dating a guy called Luffy…

"Hey, does your name mean anything?" he asked out of nowhere.

The dark-haired male gave him a queer look.

"What? Luffy?"

"Hmm."

"It's a nickname."

Marco jumped slightly at that.

"It is?" he asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"Yeah."

There was a long silence, Luffy did not seem to want to give more information whereas Marco kept staring at him, intent on learning more on the elusive fellow he shared his bed with. Up til now, despite knowing Luffy had many secrets surrounding him, Marco had never felt necessary to inquire. Now that they were officially together he thought he had a right to know certain things about his lover. Starting with his actual name apparently.

He hadn't expected Luffy to turn on him with a deeply dissatisfied expression. With a dark look on his face and a pout on his lips, the boy marched towards the sofa Marco was currently occupying and climbed on top of the blonde.

"How about you tell me about yourself first?" he asked.

There was a note of anger in his voice that Marco didn't really understand. Out of habit, he circled Luffy's waist with his arm to secure the boy's position.

"What do you mean?" he asked, a bit puzzled. "There isn't much to know about me?"

The last part was meant to be a statement but turned into a question at the last minute. Obviously he couldn't really tell what people knew and didn't know about him. He had never thought of himself as particularly secretive but that may in fact be the case.

"Your full name?" Luffy asked, still grumpy.

"Marco Fenwick." Marco grinned, before monotonously reciting his (abridged) biography. "I'm twenty-four and I've lived with Whitebeard for twelve years. Before that I was at the orphanage. My mother died when I was very young and my father died when I was ten. I had a little sister but…"he faltered, smile freezing for a mere second before he continued. "we were separated. Good enough?" he kissed Luffy's lips lightly. "Darling?"

Luffy pinched his cheek in retaliation.

"Fine. My real name is Lucas. Luffy is a nickname my mother gave me, which was derived from an ancient word. It's what she told my grandfather and that's what most people know me as. I didn't even know it wasn't my real name until a few years ago."

"So your name is Monkey D. Lucas?" Marco asked, wanting to confirm.

Luffy looked distinctly uncomfortable suddenly. He squirmed on Marco's knees, causing the man to shiver involuntarily.

"No." the younger man admitted.

His eyes were shifting. Clearly, he didn't want to tell him what his full name was. Marco decided to let it go. Mainly because a certain part of himself had just rubbed on a certain part of Luffy and he was trying very hard to act like he hadn't noticed. It probably wasn't working because Luffy smirked and very deliberately reproduced the movement. Marco grit his teeth, eyes flashing heinously at the little felon as he prepared for a round of ruthless fucking but Luffy promptly jumped off him, skipping over to sit on the armchair.

"You're horrible." Marco grumbled, immensely peeved.

Luffy grinned angelically. Marco's gaze darkened. As if anyone would believe this twat had any kind of purity left in his heart.

Then, something went over Luffy's expression and he said seriously:

"I just don't want you to be hurt."

With that, his phone rang and he walked to the kitchen to take the call. Marco was left to stare at the empty doorway, wondering what on earth had just gone down. This whole hurting business probably hadn't been about his failed attempt at hooking up – unless Luffy was hinting at some kind of painful kink of his? – so he supposed it was the matter they had been discussing before. Could he be hurt by learning Luffy's name? If so how? Or why?

Come to think of it, it had been the first time he'd heard Luffy – _Lucas_ – mention his mother. He hadn't even known he'd had one – well…he'd known he had one in the general way just not…He guessed he kind of assumed she'd always been out of the picture. Like Ace's. He should have known Luffy was full of surprises.

And it seemed it wasn't over yet.

His mind went blank for a moment before he took notice of the suspicious silence. Luffy should be on the phone right now but he couldn't hear any voices. Marco suddenly jumped to his feet. That little…He was in the food again, wasn't he?!

"You'd better not be raiding the kitchen, you bastard!" he called, not too loudly in case Luffy really was on the phone.

A giggle was his only answer. Finding this more concerning than endearing, Marco marched to the kitchen. Luffy was sitting on the counter, a pack of biscuits next to him. Surprisingly, none of it had been eaten yet.

"Come here." Luffy said, gesturing towards himself.

Marco obeyed, slightly curious. Once the blonde was near enough, Luffy pulled him between his legs and shoved a biscuit in his mouth.

"I'll let you kiss me if you eat that." Luffy announced with a cheeky smile.

Marco rolled his eyes at him but since he was a whipped and pathetic man he still dutifully ate the biscuit before claiming his prize. He was just making a daring move towards Luffy's trousers when the doorbell rang. He dropped his head on Luffy's shoulder and groaned.

Obviously, _Luffy_ thought it was all so hilarious and cackled at him as Marco straightened himself and went to answer the door.

"Hello dear," the nice elderly lady from the flat downstairs said with a gentle smile. "I hope I'm not bothering you?"

Marco plastered the fakest of all smiles on his face.

"Of course not!" he answered, ever the gentleman. "We weren't doing anything."

If only she knew.

The lady gasped.

"Oh! I hadn't realized someone was with you!" she exclaimed catching sight of Luffy who had come to see who was at the door. "You poor dear," she went on sympathetically. "You must have had an awful time of it, getting stuck here."

"Thank you." Luffy said in a strangled sort of way, which made Marco suspect he was trying not to laugh.

"Did you need something?" Marco asked, deciding it was time he regained control of the situation.

"Yes, you see, my husband and some other neighbours thought they would to get a start clearing the snow from the entrance. I was just going around to see if anyone else was available to help."

Marco was momentarily surprised before agreeing enthusiastically and promising they would be down just as soon as they'd put some warm clothes on.

"Oh and bring a shovel if you have one!" said the lady before leaving.

Marco turned to look at Luffy with a grin that bode nothing good.

"Don't you think we'll have a lovely time shovelling snow, darling?" he asked sweetly.

Luffy, the unsuspecting fool, just looked at him blankly.


End file.
